Thanks to the social web, consumers are no longer idle observers
By Anthia Crosby

Over the past few years, with the rise of new media and the increased ability of the general population to communicate using the internet, consumers have been transformed from idle observers to participative members who have a level of influence, and whose opinions matter within the context of the social web.

The advent of social media, which consists of social networking sites, interactive games and blogs such as Second Life, Digg and Facebook, signifies an important shift in how people around the world interact. Although developments in this area are still in their early stages, millions worldwide have been drawn to using online social networks for personal and professional interaction, as well as for promotional purposes. The 'social web' will only continue to grow in popularity and diversify according to the needs of individual users and organisations.

This is already occurring to an extent on existing social networking sites where members can create and join groups pertaining to a particular interest or event with the ability to add information or pictures to the group as well as participate in discussions with other group members.

The social web is a new avenue which will enable the public relations field to expand its expertise to include 'social media'. However, as much as this provides vast opportunities, it also poses threats that PR professionals will have to face such as organisations losing control over what's being said about them. This could happen through user generated content, for example, such as that on wikipedia and flickr.

User generated content includes digital video (e.g. Youtube, dailymotion etc), blogging, podcasting, mobile phone photography and wikis. Organisations and PR professionals will need to keep up-to-date with these online communication tools and have a detailed understanding of the dynamics and implications of these developments to devise strategies to overcome potential threats.

An interesting example of blog was one created by a woman called Claire who was regularly updating her blog and informing readers on her skin's condition. The blog was soon found to be run by L'Oreal which was promoting a new anti-wrinkle treatment. This is an example of an organisation which tried to hide the fact that it was utilising the blogosphere for specific promotional purposes, which impacted negatively on the company.

Another instance of a company that utilised the blogosphere, but this time in a positive way, is computer producer, Dell. The company was forced to recall almost five million batteries after they reportedly burned up through only limited use. The internet community was causing a stir in order to force Dell to be accountable for this issue. Eventually, Dell started posting entries on its customer service blog about the recall and set up a website informing customers on how to get a replacement battery.

As with these examples, PR will no longer focus only on delivering messages to those who "control" the media; the dynamics have shifted and now the general population has control over what is being published. Within the social web, blatant attempts at promotion and advertising are frowned upon and rejected by members, however they are very accepting of those who make valid and useful contributions to their online communities.

There is an important lesson to be learnt for organisations and communication professionals: connect with online groups on a level they understand by contributing content that is relevant to its members and their interests. There are endless possibilities in terms of the ways this can be done, but participation in discussions and promoting awareness without blatant promotion are likely to be the most accepted and effective practices in the future.

12 September 2007